Category Archives: Knicks

The New York Knicks remain interested in building up their frontcourt in free agency.

According to Sheridan Hoops, the Knicks have shown interest in free-agent big man Kevin Seraphin. The Los Angeles Lakers and Washington Wizards also remain in the mix.

Seraphin has stated he wants to be a starter, which remains a longshot for any of the three teams interested in his services. Perhaps that desire has waned as free agency has winded down.

Last season in Washington, Seraphin averaged 6.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and .7 blocks while averaging 15.6 minutes per game.

Sam Spiegelman

All offseason long, the Knicks have shown a desire to add depth to their frontcourt, particularly since the team failed to add a marquee free agent such as DeAndre Jordan or Greg Monroe or LaMarcus Aldridge.

Already, the Knicks have added Kyle O’Quinn to back up Robin Lopez. The team re-signed Lou Amundson and added Derrick Williams during free agency, while also drafting their power forward of the future with the No. 4 overall pick in the draft, Kristaps Porzingis.

Essentially, the team is adding depth in numbers in case any of their new additions do not pan out. Maybe they’re hoping if one player doesn’t perform, another will step up in their place.

Seraphin can fill at the 4 or 5, which makes him valuable in regards to his versatility. He doesn’t boast upside like Williams or Amundson or Porzingis, and since the Knicks are somewhat deep at each of those spots, it seems unlikely he gets a deal.

The New York Knicks have let go of Craig Hodges, head coach of their D-League affiliate in Westchester (Berman, July 28).

Hodges, who took over for the fired Kevin Whitted towards the tail end of the season, was 0-4 while serving as the interim head coach. He was considered a Phil Jackson disciple, having played for him in Chicago and coaching under him at the developmental level with the Lakers.

The NBA Knicks weren’t the only ones in the organization to struggle last season. Westchester finished the year with a 10-40 record.

Featuring some under-the-radar athletes, as well as a few past NBA veterans, The Tournament has gotten the attention of many, the Knicks included.

As fate would have it, Knicks’ Summer League participant Alex Kirk is among the competitors, and recently found himself privy to some advice from team advisor Clarence Gaines on Twitter following one of the games.

@kingkirk53@JBuck610 – was getting tattooed by Frisby in early stages of 2nd half – got to work on 1 v 1 low post defense – WIP

There are a couple of interesting things to note here. Given the players the Knicks have recently signed to partially-guaranteed contracts for training camp, it remains to be see if one for Kirk follows, as he is reportedly negotiating with international teams. It’s also worth noting who (former Knicks and Bulls center Bill Cartwright) Gaines would advise Kirk to model his game after a bit. Perhaps the Knicks can find another potential diamond in the rough (Kirk or someone else) by keeping close tabs on this tournament as it continues into the summer.

Kirk showed a bit of potential, averaging seven points and five rebounds for New York in Las Vegas earlier this month.

Phil Jackson said the Knicks looked into acquiring PG Goran Dragic during the NBA trade deadline, according to Charley Rosen’s series chronicling the Knicks 2014-15 season (July 27).

The Knicks, who dumped Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith to Cleveland, waived Amar’e Stoudemire and dealt Pablo Prigioni to Houston at the deadline, looked into acquiring Dragic.

“I heard through the grapevine that he was open to coming here,” Jackson said. “We worked hard on that possibility, but the asking price was too dear. Maybe we worked on that possibility so much so that it distracted us.”

The 29-year-old Dragic averaged 16.3 points, 4.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game with the Heat last season. He re-signed a five-year, $90 million deal with Miami after entering free agency.

“I mean, Dragic is every team’s current choice for a nuclear option — a guard who can penetrate and either score or kick. Guys like Chris Paul and James Harden,” Jackson said. “But, anyway, that’s not really the way I want us to play.”

Darion Atkins, a 6-foot-8 forward out of Virginia has reportedly signed a partially-guaranteed deal with the Knicks according to Shlomo Sprong of SheridanHoops.

Atkins made 33 appearances in the 2014-15 season for Virginia and averaged 7.6 points and six rebounds. The forward played with the Spurs champion Summer League team this year.

Details of the deal have not been disclosed.

Keith Schlosser, Lead Writer

This moves appears to be somewhat of a reactionary one, after the Knicks lost out on Maurice Ndour to the Mavericks earlier in the week.

Atkins and Ndour play the same position, so on one hand, some may wonder why New York didn’t simply pay for Ndour following his impressive play in Las Vegas. Having said that, perhaps the team held off, knowing full well inking Atkins to a contract instead was on deck.

Whereas Ndour showed a bit of offensive prowess with solid perimeter shooting and the ability to pass well out of the low block, Atkins certainly appears to be more of a defensive-minded player.

Regardless of who the player is, it’s good to see the Knicks extending their reach a bit in hopes of finding under the radar diamonds in the rough. Atkins played with the Spurs during NBA Summer League, which should probably say quite a bit for his credibility as a prospect.

Alas, a very positive sign regarding the health of New York Knicks superstar Carmelo Anthony.

A source told the New York Post that Anthony plans to travel to Las Vegas to participate in the U.S. Olympic Team minicamp from Aug. 11 through the 13.

Per the report, Anthony will not be a full participant in the minicamp as he continues to rehab his left knee following surgery to repair a torn patellar tendon from February The timeline for that surgery was four to six months, which puts Anthonys on the latter end of the rehab time.

Attending minicamp does not signal Anthony will be a part of Team USA for the 2016 Summar Games in Rio de Janeiro, but it would suggest some sort of commitment to the squad. Anthony has previously competed for Team USA in 2004 and the gold-medal winners in both 2008 and 2012.

Sam Spiegelman

This is a very promising piece of news on the Anthony front, as we have heard very little to nothing regarding his actual physical health when it comes to returning to the court.

Anthony is nearing the end of that four-to-six-month timeframe in which he’s rehabbing his left knee, so returning to the court — even in a limited capacity — is a positive indication that the perennial All-Star forward is going to be ready for the start of the 2015-16 season.

Much of this offseason has been bits and pieces about Anthony’s potential rifts with first-round draft pick Kristaps Porzingis or Knicks president Phil Jackson, so it’s refreshing to finally hear about his on-the-court outlook. So far, it seems very encouraging.